Winery of the Week

Sure Thing Sterling

Prologue

Leon Adams, The Wines of America, 2nd Ed., 1978...
"As you approach the Napa Valley's upper end, a
white monastery-like structure comes into view
atop the range of hills to the east. It is the
Sterling Vineyards winery, the most spectacular
in America and quite possibly in the world."

The Rest of the Story

It was a spectacular winery, dedicated to making
spectacular wines. Here's what happened.
1967—Four executives of the Sterling International
Paper Company in San Francisco buy the wooded
knoll that included a tiny, 30-year-old winery.
They had started buying prime vineyard land three
years earlier.

1974—My wife and I have just returned from
Teheran and take the ski-lift-type tram up to
the spectacular winery, which has been open less
than a year. The first winemaker is future star
Richard Forman, who now operates his own winery.
His very first efforts caught critic Robart
Balzer's eye who wrote of his preliminary tasting
of Sterling's "pure Merlot...already one of
California's fine wines."...and this was before
Merlot mania had struck the U.S.A.

1977—Coca Cola buys the winery and hires an
assistant winemaker who will be a major factor in
wine quality for two decades. His name is Bill
Dyer. (Yes, Domaine Chandon winemaker Dawnine
Dyer is his wife.)

1994—A good example of Bill's invovlment in
all phases of quality is his note to me, not
about a change in winemaking, but in one of their
vineyards. "Dear Fred, The Diamond Mountain Ranch
Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon reflect our
continued progress at that vineyard— eliminating
irrigation and avoiding filtration of the Cab has
given us wines of greater concentration. Regards,
Bill Dyer"

1996—Bill leaves and is replaced by a dynamic
team. Coke sold Sterling to Seagram way back in
1983, and now Seagram brings in Greg Fowler as
Vice President and Senior Winemaker. Greg
brings in his former fellow winemaker at Schramsberg,
Robert Hunter. They have over 700 acres of
vineyards to draw from, they buy a lot more
French oak barrels ("contribute more finesse
and elegance"), etc.

The new team's looking good. Robert Parker, Jr.
says their first Chardonnay is improved... "Burgundian
style, not too acidified, excellent fresh fruit. HIGH
CLASS!" He also likes their Sauvignon Blanc..."crisp,
mineral-like, refreshing, attractive.

2000—The original little winery on the knoll
made the equivalent of 3,000 cases a year. When
I last checked, today's production is around
350,000 cases, and growing. One of the reasons
for the continued expansion is
that Greg and Robert are making a new line of
"Central Coast" Sterling wines...after all, they
can get their hands on only so many Napa Valley
grapes. There's both a Merlot and a Cabernet
Sauvignon...a very nice way to appraise the team's
ability for only $13 a bottle.

Postscript

Birdlovers must visit Sterling's Carneros vineyard
called "Winery Lake." Some years, not only wild
peacocks roam the grounds, but wild geese choose
to live on the lake all year instead of migrating
north to Canada.

About the
Writer

Fred McMillin, a veteran wine writer, has taught wine history
for 30 years on three continents. He currently teaches wine
courses at San Francisco State and San Francisco City College.
In 1995, the Academy of Wine Communications honored Fred
with one of only 22 Certificates of Commendation awarded
to American wine writers.